Stage Sounds: Little Shop of Horrors

Little Shop can seem to some like a pretty corny, weird show, but it's honestly insanely dark once you see it. I've seen two student productions of this show that were done very well, but I can't lie, this show does leave me uneasy. It's a wild show, and it is fun, but it's not for the faint of heart, no mater how boppy the music is and how colorful the costumes are.

Little Shop of Horrors is a musical with music by Alan Menken and lyrics & book by Howard Ashman, whose names you may recognize as being all over Disney soundtracks for multiple decades. Based on the 1960 Roger Corman film, the show opened in 1982 at the WPA Theatre before moving to the Orpheum Theatre (Off-Broadway on 2nd Avenue), where it ran for 2,209 performances before closing in 1987. It was brought back to Broadway in 2003 and saw a very successful Off-Broadway revival in 2019. The show has also seen productions and tours in the UK and US as well as a Canadian production in the mid-80s. The original Off-Broadway run and the 2019 revival were both nominated for a Grammy in 1984 and 2020, respectively. A film adaptation of the show was released in 1986, directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis & Ellen Greene.

For this post, I will be focusing on one song for each main cast member from the original Off-Broadway cast recording and the 2019 Off-Broadway revival, but will be skipping the Honorable Mentions portion. Warning: potential spoilers ahead.

Seymour Krelborn (Tenor)

Spotlight Song: Suddenly, Seymour

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Lee Wilkof

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Jonathan Groff

The first thing to know about this show is that every single character sucks in some way, with Seymour and Audrey being no exception even as the leads. Seymour really nails the "Nice Guy" act, and while he believes his intentions are pure, deep down he's no better than most of the other residents of Skid Row. I did like Jonathan Groff's portrayal a bit more than Lee Wilkof's (yes I'm biased because Jonathan Groff), but Act II's Suddenly, Seymour duet with Audrey is one of the best songs in the show and both guys did a fabulous job with it. Yes, he loves Audrey and wants what's best for her, but he still willingly feeds people he knows personally to his giant alien plant, so there's that.

Lift up your head, wash off your mascara/Here, take my Kleenex, wipe that lipstick away/Show me your face, clean as the morning/I know things were bad, but now they’re okay/Suddenly, Seymour is standing beside you/You don’t need no makeup, don’t have to pretend/Suddenly, Seymour is here to provide you/With sweet understanding, Seymour’s your friend

Audrey (Mezzo-Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Somewhere That's Green

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Ellen Greene

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Tammy Blanchard

Audrey objectively sucks the least out of all the characters, poor things. While she does lead Seymour on, which isn't cool, she's absolutely a victim of a***e in more ways than one and acts a lot like a lost little girl who doesn't know what to do. Greene and Blanchard come at Audrey in two different ways vocally, but both renditions of Act I's Somewhere That's Green are devastating. She doesn't want anything grandiose or even dream very big, but just a little kindness and normalcy in her mess of a life.

A matchbox of our own, a fence of real chainlink/A grill out on the patio, disposal in the sink/A washer and a dryer and an ironing machine/In the tract house that we share somewhere that's green/He rakes and trims the grass, he loves to mow and weed/I cook like Betty Crocker, and I look like Donna Reed/There’s plastic on the furniture to keep it nice and clean/In the Pine-Sol scented air somewhere that’s green

Mr. Mushnik (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Mushnik and Son

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Hy Anzell

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Tom Alan Robbins

Mr. Mushnik definitely sucks, even if he doesn't deserve his fate. He treats Seymour like crap and only offers to "adopt" him when he's afraid he'll bail on the business, but he was absolutely right in urging Seymour to talk to the police about Orin's disappearance. I think I preferred Anzell's portrayal slightly more than Robbins's, but both do a great cranky older man in Act I's Mushnik & Son duet with Seymour. It's a fun patter song, even if the purpose behind it is to generally give you the ick.

How would you like to be my son/How would you like to be my own adopted boy/I never liked him much before, but count the cash that’s in the drawer/I’ve got no choice, I’m much too poor, say yes, what for/Seymour, I want to be your dad/I want to see you climbing up my family tree/I used to think you left a stench, but now I see that you’re a mensch/So I’m proposing be my son/Mushnik and Son sounds great/Three words with the ring of fate/So say you’ll incorporate with me/A florist’s dream come true/Mushnik and his boychik, you/What business we’ll do for F.T.D.

Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Now (It's Just the Gas)

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Franc Luz

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Christian Borle

I don't really think it's too off-base to say that Orin is the most despicable character in this show, even over Audrey II. He is horrid as a human being and as a boyfriend, and he's the poster child for why people are terrified of the dentist. Franc Luz was certainly unhinged in the role, but Christian Borle plays just a perfect villain, especially in Act I's Now (It's Just the Gas). It's arguably one of the darkest songs in the show, but it feels fully vindicating.

Don’t be fooled if I should giggle like a snappy, happy dope/It’s just the gas, it’s got me high/But don't let the fact deceive you, any moment I could die/Though I giggle and I chortle, bear in mind I’m not immortal/Why this whole thing strikes me funny, I don’t know/‘Cause it really is a rotten way to go

Crystal, Ronette, & Chiffon (Mezzo-Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors)

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Jennifer Leigh Warren, Sheila Kay Davis, & Leilani Jones

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Salome Smith, Ari Groover, & Joy Woods

Crytsal, Ronette, and Chiffon's main gripe could be that they see most everything going on yet don't interfere, but since they serve as a Greek chorus for the show that's just to be expected. They're fun to have in the musical numbers, and get a lot of really cool vocal moments. Show opener Little Shop of Horrors is a great example of this in both casts. It's also one of the catchiest songs in the show, getting stuck in my head pretty regularly.

Little shop, little shop of horrors/Little shop, little shop of terrors/Call a cop, little shop of horrors/No, oh, oh, no/Little shop, little shop of horrors/Bop sh’bop, little shop of terrors/Watch ‘em drop, little shop of horrors/No, oh, oh, no

Audrey II (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Feed Me (Git It)

Original Off-Broadway (1982): Ron Taylor & Martin P. Robinson

Off-Broadway Revival (2019): Kingsley Leggs & Eric Wright/Teddy Yudain

Audrey II, one of the most wild stageshow villains there is. I've seen this role cast as written with a deep voiced baritone and also got to see a really cool adaptation with a female voicing the killer plant, which added a whole extra layer to the character. Act I's Feed Me is a pivotal moment in the show, and is also such a blast to hear and see. Audrey II is played by two people, a voice actor off-stage and a silent puppeteer, and it's honestly always cool to watch.

Would you like a Cadillac car/Or a guest shot on Jack Paar/How about a date with Hedy Lamarr/You gonna git it/Would you like to be a big wheel/Dining out for every meal/I’m the plant to make it all real/You gonna git it/I’m your genie, I’m your friend/I’m your willing slave/Take a chance, just feed me and/You know the kinda eats, the kinda red hot treats, the kinda sticky licky sweets I crave/Come on, Seymour, don’t be a putz/Trust me and your life will surely rival King Tut’s/Show a little ‘nitiative, work up the guts/And you’ll git it

If you're a fan of dark comedy and haven't seen this show, I'll go ahead and recommend it to you. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!